Manifold aero heater



A. G. BRIDGFORD AND S- B. BOLTON.

MANIFOLD AERO HEATER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 29, 1921.

05 7 a Patented Aug. 22, 19 22.

Ta a ll 'l'ailsirt iii Est lle fi li t'lltaiiu ARCHIE e.- narneronn .ann SIDNEY B. sorrow, or ALEDO, ILLInoIs; sari) BOLTON ASSIGNOB TO sari) BRIDGFOBD.

EIIANIFQLD AERO HEATER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented nin 22;, 1922.

Application filed April 29, 1921. Serial No. 465,583.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Anoirin G. BRIDG- rom) and Sinner l3. BOLTON, citizens of the United States, residing, respectively, at Aledo, in the county of Mercer and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in lilanifold Aero Heat'- ers; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such will enable others illed in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to improvements in manifold aero heaters, and more part-icularlyit relates to a heating device adapted to be associated with the intake pipe or manifold of an internal combustion engine for the purpose of initially pro-heating the carbureted fuel preliminarily to its being drawn int-o the cylinders of the engine in order that a proper and complete combustion of the fuel may take place when the engine is cold, and particularly is the invention applicable to engines of this character to aid in starting in the winter months.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple and inexpensive device to be cast inconnection with or capable of being attached to the usual form of intake manifold pipe without, incurring any alteration in the present construction thereof, and in providing for the projection of a thin, fine stream of gasolineor other combustible fluid against the intake pipe, such stream being initially heated, vaporized and ignited so that a stream of lireis caused to impinge directly against the. manifold pipe and to run down the same to providea relatively great heating area.

Another object of the invention isto proride for the utilizing of the gasoline or other combustible liquid carried by the vehicle and to enable its regular use in measured charges which will be found ordinarily sui'licient .for. starting purposes, ,in combinationwith certain control means for the heat ing and igniting devices to provide for the discontinuance in their operation. as soon as a charge of fiuidhas been exhausted.

"With the foregoing and otherobjeots in view, the invention will be more fullydescribed hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointedout in the claims appended hereto.

lntlle n of:

drawings, whereinlike symbols refor to like or corresponding parts throughout the several views,

Fig. 1 shows a carbureter in connection with a portion of an intake manifold and a part of the vehicle foot board and dash showing an improved heater controlling device constructed according to the present invention; V i

F 2 is an enlarged side elevational View of the heater casing with i i l broken away and with a portion of the manifold pipe indicated as passing therethrough; and I i v Fig. 3 is a sectional view. taken on the line 33 in Fig. 2. l

Referring more'particularlv to the draw ings, 1 designates an automobile or otherv vehicle dash board, 2 the usual foot board, and

3 the gasoline conduit extending from the tank. which. 1s. usually carried at the rear of.

the vehicle to the carbureter i and which is shown in conjunction with. the vertical portion 5 of the intake manifold pipe. I

In accordance with the invention there is provided a casing extending about the vertical portion 5 of the manifold pipe and for purposes of adapting this casing to be readily put in place, the same is preferably formed in half sections 6 and? provided with meeting flanges Sand 9 having a suit- 7 able gasket 10 therebetween and secured together as bybolts or other fastenings 11. The casing sections 6 and 7, so united, form a completely enclosed annular chaniber surrounding a portion of the pipe 5 and into which is drawn atmospheric air. throughan elbow 12 entering the casing section ('3 atthe lower portion thereof. In a similar way an outlet elbow 13 is providedon the top portion of the casing section 7. to carry off the products of combustion a-nd theheated air, and a suitable controlling device or damper 14% may be provided in this outlet elbow to govern thedraft. and the escape of the heat. This damper is so arranged as to automatically closeonv any sudden. compression of air from within. v

A nozzle 15 projects into the casing section (Sat the upper portion thereof above the intake elbow 12 and isso positioned and arranged as to direct a line stream of gasoline or other combustible fluid directly against the outer wall of the intake pipe' 5 lying at the upper portion of the casing. A heating coillG is disposed within the easing in the path of the fiuid stream projected by the nozzle 15 for the purpose of vaporizing the fluid so thatin its vaporized condition it may be ignited by a spark plug 17 let in through the top of the casing which is above the heating coil 16. The heating coil '16 is also carried by a plug 18 extending through one wall of the casing as indicated more particularly in Fig. 3. Both plugs 17 and 18 may be grounded on the casing section 6 and included in a circuit 19, 2O havinga battery or other source of current 21 therein and a high tension coil 22.

The circuit includes a switch 23 pivoted as indieatedat 24. The wire 20 connects with the pivot point 24: of the switch blade 23 and the wire 19 connects with a contact stud 25 of the switch. The switch blade 23 is disposed in the. path of an arm 2601i a plunger rod 27 carried on the dash board 1 and in position to be drawn to the left by the operator whenever the motor is to be started, particularly in cold weather.

The rod 27 carries a plunger 28 fitted to reciprocate within a cylinder 29 disposed on the front portion of the dash board 1 and being in communication with the nozzle 15 through a pipe 30'having a check valve 31 therein adapted to permitthe flow of gasoline or other fluid from the cylinder 29 into the pipe 30 but preventing any backward movement or suctionthereof into the cylin der. The cylinder 29 receives its source of gasoline or other combustible fluid supply through a pipe 32 in communication with the conduit 3 and also having a check valve 33 at its juncture with the cylinder 29 acting to permit a free flow of the gasoline or other fluid. from the pipe 32 into the cylinder 29 but closing to prevent a flow of the fluid from the cylinder back into the pipe A coil spring 34 is wound about the plunger rod 27 within the cylinder 29 and it acts on the plunger 28 tending to move the same toward the right.

In operation, when the motor is to be started particularly in cold weather, the

operator initially draws forth the plunger rod 27 which is disposed on the dash or instrument board of the vehicle in a convenient position for this initial operation. This will cause the plunger 28 to be drawn toward the dash board 21, and in so doing it will compress the coil spring 34. and will cause a leaf spring 35 to shift the switch blade 23 over on the contact 25 so soon as the arm 26 is withdrawn from its restraining influence thereon. This of course will close the circuit through the plugs 17 and 18. In drawing the plunger 28 toward the dash 1 a measured supply of gasoline or other combustible fluid will. be elevated through the pipe 32 and admitted to the cylinder 29. On the other hand, as soon as the plunger rod 27 is released, which occurs immediately after the act of pulling it back, the coil spring 3 1, having been put in a potential condition of compression, will tend to expand and drive the plunger 28 toward the right, but this action will necessarily be retarded due to the presence of the body of fluid in the cylinder and the comparatively small diameter of the pipe 30 through which the fluid must seek exit.

As a consequence the plunger 28 will move steadily to the right in the cylinder 29 and the ch eck valve 33 automatically closing, and the check valve 31 automatically opening,' a fine stream of fluid under a substantial pressure will be delivered through the pipe 30 and projected by the nozzle 15 through the energized heating coil 16 by which it will become vaporized. The vaporized fluid is ignited by the spark plug 1? so that a stream of fire is projected directly against the intake pipe 5 at the upper portion of the catsing and is permitted to run down the pipe within the casing and heat a substantial area of the same.

As soon as the plunger 28 arrives at its extreme right hand position, the arm 26 will have encountered the switch blade 23 and move it away from the contact 25 thus opening the circuit and causing the de-energizing of the heating coil 16 and spark plug 17. In this condition the device remains in readiness for a subsequent actuation. It will therefore be appreciated that the device is substantially automatic requiring only the drawing backward of the plunger 27 by the operator to cause the heating of fuel prior to starting the engine.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made in the details of construction and design of the above specifically described embodiment of this invention without departing from the spirit there of, such changes and modifications being restricted only by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimedis: I

1. A device of the character described comprising a casing adapted to fit about a portion of a manifold, a heating device in the casing, and means for injecting a stream of combustible fluid through said heating means and against the manifold pipe lying within the casing.

2. A device of the character described comprising a. casing adapted to fit about a portion of the manifold pipe and having an inlet for combustion piping supporting air and an outlet for the products of combustion, a heating device within said casing, means for injecting a combustible fluid against said heating means and adapted to project the heated fluid in contact with the manifold pipe lying in the casing, means to ignite the combustible fluid vaporized by said heating meansjand means for controlling the action of said heating and igniting means, substantially as described.

3. A device of the character described. comprising a casing fitted about a portion of the manifold pipe and having means for securing draft of air therethrough, means to project a thin, fine stream of a combustible medium into the casing and against the manifold, an electric heating coil disposed in the path of the stream whereby to vaporize the medium, a sparking device in the casing positioned to ignite the vaporized medium, and check circuits for said heating means and sparking device, substantially as described.

4;. A device of the character described comprising a casing fitted about a portion of an intake pipe, an air supply tube connecting with the lower portion of the casing at one side, an outlet tube projecting from the upper portion of the casing at the opposite side, a nozzle in communication with a source of combustible fluid supply projecting into the upper portion of the casing above said air intake pipe, means for forcibly projecting a thin stream of the fluid through said nozzle and against said intake pipe within the casing, a heater within the casing in the path of the fluid stream, a sparking device arranged above the heating means and adapted to ignite the vaporized stream, and means to control the energizing of the heating means and sparking device, substantially as described.

5. A device of the kind described com prising a casing to be cast in connection with intake manifold or adapted to be fitted to gether about an intake pipe and being secured tightly together along its divided edges, a nozzle for projecting a combustible fluid into the casing and against the pipe, a heating coil in the casing in the path of the fluid stream, a spark plug above the heating means, a device adapted to draw combustible fluid from the vehicle fuel supply and to drive such fluid through the nozzle, and controlling means for the coil and spark plug associated with said last named means whereby the heating coil and spark plug will be deenergized as soon as the stream of fluid is discontinued, substan tially as described.

6. A device of the kind described comprising a two-part casing adapted to be fitted together about an intake pipe and being secured tightly together along its divided edges, a nozzle for projecting a combustible fluid into the casing and against the pipe, a heating coil in the casing in the path of the fluid stream, a spark plug above the heating means, a device adapted to draw combustible fluid from the vehicle fuel supply and to drive such fluid through the nozzle, and controlling means for the coil and spark plug associated with said last named means whereby the heating coil and spark plug will be deenergized as soon as the stream of fluid is discontinued, substantially as described.

ARCHIE G. BRIDGFORD. SIDNEY B. BOLTON. 

